Akkrah and Adampe, Gold Coast, Africa. 



129 



the eye. They, however, are detected without trouble or difficulty, 

 under the customary supervision of a native personage, professionally 

 denominated a gold-taker, whose services are specially retained in 

 mercantile establishments for this object. European factors regu- 

 late their purchases and computations by its artificial division into 

 ackies and ounces, of which sixteen of the former, valued respectively 

 at five shillings, constitutes the ounce, that again being equal to four 

 pounds currency. The country people in their multifarious trading 

 speculations, are subject to a constant fluctuation of prices produced 

 by the interchange of commodities among the various tribes with whom 

 they come in contact. As these comprehend individuals in every 

 sphere of life, an enlargement of the scale of equivalents in gold dust 

 became requisite, and has been fully accomplished by the Fante and 

 and Ashante traders, by their minute subdivision and combination 

 of the ounce into a minor variety of terms, each of which has its 

 relative value affixed. This pecuniary method of valuation so far 

 suffices for the mutual accommodation of all parties engaged in traffic, 

 and has implicitly guided hitherto the inhabitants of Akkrah, 

 Adampe, and the more eastern nations in their commercial transac- 

 tions. It is somewhat remarkable, that the native appellation of 

 Seekah is known not only throughout every portion of the Gold 

 Coast, but in Popo, Dahomey, and the distant regions of Yorruba. 

 The following tables of the gold currency of the Fante and Ashante 

 nations compiled by the late Mr M'Lean, are equally adopted by the 

 people of Akkrah and Adampe, and the accuracy of which may be suf- 

 ficiently guaranteed by the well-known experience of their author. 



Table I. — Fante Currency. 



Names of Weights. 



W 



oz. 



jight in 

 ackies. 



Value. 



Names of Weights. 



W 

 oz. 



eight in 

 ackies. 



Value. 









& s. d. 









£, s. d. 



1 Pessua .... 





l-48th 



1£ 



Essien .... 





6 



1 10 



Simpoah .... 





l-24th 



2£ 



Acandjua . . . 





7 



1 15 



Takufan .... 





l-12th 



5 



Djua 



* 



8 



2 



Kokua .... 





l-8th 



7i 



Sul 





9 



2 5 



■ Taku 





l-6th 



10 



Sua-ne-sul . . . 





18* 



3 7 6 



Suafan .... 





5-6ths 



4 2 



Djuaraien . . . 



1 





4 



Meaton (or Girifan) 





1 



5 



Essuanu .... 



1 



2 



4 10 



.Sua 





l-4-6th 



8 4 



Djuamiensan 



1 



8 



6 



Agiratjwi (or Gird) 





2 



10 



Essuasan . . 



1 



11 



6 15 



Ensan 





3 



15 



Bendah . 



2 





8 



Djuasul 



4 



10 



Perigwan . . . 



2 



4 



9 



! Perisul . . . .... 



5 



15 



Entenu . . . . 



4 



8 



18 



VOL. LIII. NO. CV. — JULY 1852. 



